Chapter 24: Beg Me for Mercy

Shen Wanning raised her voice slightly to correct her, "My sister and Brother Lu are childhood sweethearts, and with our parents' consent, their marriage is meant to be! Miss Zhang, please do not spout nonsense and ruin my sister's reputation!"

"She still has a reputation? Without a formal betrothal or exchange of gifts, she spends time alone with a man in broad daylight—what kind of reputation is that?" Zhang Yanran cast a sidelong glance at Shen Wanning, her tone growing even more acerbic. "Wanning, if you ask me, you should never have let her come back. Don't let her sully your own good name for no reason!"

Lu Chengyuan, who rarely interacted with women, felt his face flush with indignation on Shen Yuan's behalf upon hearing Zhang Yanran’s veiled insults. He stood up, preparing to lift the curtain and offer a retort, but Shen Yuan held him back.

"Her words are too much; I cannot stand it!"

Shen Yuan glanced at a bamboo basket placed at the stern of the boat, where the muffled, rhythmic thumping of live fish could be heard. Seeing the glint of cunning in her eyes, Lu Chengyuan knew she already had a plan. She had been like this since childhood—full of mischievous ideas.

Shen Yuan handed a taung of silver to the boatman, picked up the basket teeming with live fish, and shook it. She lifted the boat curtain and called out to Zhang Yanran, "Sister Zhang, look at this!"

The two boats were some distance apart. Seeing Shen Yuan acting mysterious, Zhang Yanran barked at her boatman to draw closer. As the boats edged together, Shen Yuan hoisted the basket, took aim at Zhang Yanran, and flung it with all her might!

Countless live fish flew through the air. Zhang Yanran squinted, unable to react in time. The cold, sharp-scaled fish struck her like stones, and in her fright, her footing failed, and she tumbled into the lake!

"Sister Zhang? Sister Zhang!"

Shen Wanning was also pelted by the flying fish, the pungent, fishy odor making her gag. Yet, she couldn't care about herself; she was only concerned about whether Zhang Yanran was safe after falling into the water. If something happened to her, it was one thing for Shen Yuan to be reprimanded, but since she was the one who had invited Zhang Yanran out, she would surely not escape punishment.

The winter water was bone-chilling. Zhang Yanran felt her limbs stiffen and go numb, as if she were suffocating. Shen Yuan stood at the edge of the boat with her arms crossed, watching her struggle in the water like a drowned rat, and asked coldly, "If you want to live, beg for mercy."

Zhang Yanran gulped down several mouthfuls of water, unable to speak. Seeing that she was on the verge of losing consciousness, Shen Wanning knelt down and cried to Shen Yuan, "Sister Zhang is stubborn by nature; she cannot bring herself to beg! I will beg for her, I will apologize for her! Please, Sister, show mercy and let Brother Lu save her!"

The last time Shen Yuan had fallen into the water, it was Lu Chengyuan who had rescued her. This time, however, Lu Chengyuan made no move, clearly waiting for Shen Yuan’s cue. Shen Wanning was stunned; she had never imagined that someone as lowly as Shen Yuan could make Lu Chengyuan so obedient.

"Do you want to save her?" Shen Yuan asked Lu Chengyuan, glancing sideways.

Lu Chengyuan shook his head. "It is not a day for getting into the water."

"But Sister Zhang is dying!" Shen Wanning was terrified of a fatality. The Zhang family were imperial officials, after all; if something happened to Zhang Yanran, her father’s career would surely suffer!

Shen Yuan watched the panicked Shen Wanning with narrowed eyes and asked Zhang Yanran calmly, "I said it before: if you want to live, beg for mercy. Is it that hard for you to open your mouth, Sister Zhang?"

"I... I was wrong... please... save me..."
"Shen Yuan, save me..."
Then came only the sound of bubbling water. After exhausting her strength to utter those broken words, Zhang Yanran’s limbs went limp, and her body began to sink.

"Begging is enough."

Shen Yuan leaped from the boat and plunged into the frigid lake. Her white dress billowed like that of an immortal beneath the surface, and through the rippling water, her face looked ethereal, her eyes shining bright. In that moment, she looked like a savior.

When she saw Shen Yuan grab Zhang Yanran with precise movements and pull her to the surface, Shen Wanning froze completely. She... she knew how to swim? Then why had she pretended to drown in the palace before? Shen Wanning quickly realized that Shen Yuan had been trying to frame her! She hadn't expected that while she was plotting against Shen Yuan, she had been outplayed herself.

Zhang Yanran was hauled up and lay retching on the deck. Shen Wanning hurried to her side to tend to her, fearing any sign of negligence.

"Are you all right? Boatman, please, take us back to the shore." Seeing Shen Yuan’s clothes soaked through, Lu Chengyuan urged the boatman toward the bank so she could change, fearing she would catch a chill.

Hearing this, Shen Wanning looked over, a trace of hidden resentment in her eyes. Although Brother Lu had a physical disability, he was handsome and upright. Before his accident, he was the man all the noble ladies talked about—why did he listen only to Shen Yuan?

*Shen Yuan, you just wait!*

Soaked to the bone, Zhang Yanran shivered violently. She wished she could throw Shen Yuan into the lake dozens of times to soothe her hatred. As she twitched her nose, she caught a foul scent. Looking to the side, she realized the fishy stench was coming from Shen Wanning.

Zhang Yanran covered her nose and recoiled. "You reek! Stay away from me!"

"I..." Shen Wanning looked down and sniffed; sure enough, the smell lingered.

"It’s all your fault! If you hadn't asked me to go boating, would I have fallen in? Now look at this! Soaked like this—are you satisfied?"

Shen Wanning wanted to explain, but she realized Zhang Yanran was pinning the blame for the fall on her and had naturally grouped her together with Shen Yuan.

"Sister Zhang, I’m sorry... I never imagined my sister could be so vicious as to push you into the water in the middle of winter. If you’ve harmed your health, how could I ever face your father?" Shen Wanning wiped her tears with a handkerchief, looking pitiful and seemingly dropping a hint.

Zhang Yanran was about to scold her, but her eyes darted as she thought of something. She was right. If this left her with a lingering illness, how could Shen Yuan avoid the consequences? By then, it would be best to make her kneel by her bedside and beg for mercy!

After leaving Taiqing Lake, and under Lu Chengyuan's arrangements, Shen Yuan changed into dry clothes. Seeing her hair still slightly damp at the temples, Lu Chengyuan said with concern, "When you get back, remember to have the kitchen prepare some ginger soup to ward off the cold."

Shen Yuan stooped to board the carriage back to the Shen estate and nodded at him. "I will."

"The Zhang girl is a vengeful person. Since you offended her today, she surely won't let it go. If necessary, you can call me to testify for you."

Seeing the seriousness in his expression, Shen Yuan covered her mouth and laughed. "Compared to being a scoundrel, I’ve become quite adept at it after all these years away."

Though her tone was light, Lu Chengyuan heard the underlying pain. He smiled faintly. "That is good. If you can't shake her off, blame it on me. No matter how arrogant the Zhang girl is, she wouldn't dare provoke me."

Lu Chengyuan was a craftsman the likes of which the imperial court had not seen in a century. Every palace and garden he built left everyone in awe and would be passed down for generations. That was why, even when the Sixth Prince was killed by falling timber, the Emperor had hesitated repeatedly, eventually deciding to spare his life.

"Fine, I’ll listen to Brother Lu," Shen Yuan said, her brows curving.

As the carriage pulled away, Lu Chengyuan retracted his gaze and looked toward the tall building behind him. Sure enough, he felt a scorching, intense stare. He had sensed someone watching them ever since they came ashore; he hadn't been wrong.

*That must be Pei Ji, right?*

But by now, the presence had already vanished.